Banning transport of workers in back of lorries not practical: Amy Khor

Banning the practice of transporting workers in the back of lorries is "not practical", as doing so may spell the end for some micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), Senior Minister of State for Transport and Sustainability and the Environment Amy Khor told Parliament on Feb 26.

- Vanessa Paige Chelvan

"For many micro, small and medium enterprises, it is neither practical nor viable for the employers to have different vehicles and drivers to transport a small number of workers separately from their equipment and goods," Dr Khor said.

She added that a ban would significantly impact the viability of some SMEs, and "many of them could be forced to shut down, causing workers, both local and foreign, to lose their jobs".

This would have knock-on effects, such as "delays for critical projects like HDB (housing), schools, hospitals and MRT lines, and result in higher cost for Singaporeans", Dr Khor said.

She was responding to a question from Mr Louis Ng (Nee Soon GRC), who asked what feedback the Ministry of Transport had received about improving the safety of workers transported in the back of lorries, and banning the practice altogether.